GeTTinG To dubai
& abu dhabi
Most visitors to Dubai arrive
by air with convenient flights
from most major international
cities� The approximate
duration time from London
is seven hours, from Sydney
14 hours, from New York 12
hours and from Ottawa 14
hours� Dubai also increasingly
serves as a major stopover
hub between Europe and Asia�
There is road access to
Dubai from Oman, which
borders the united Arab Emir-
ates (uAE) to the east; and
from Saudi Arabia, which is
to the south and west of the
uAE� You will be required to
show your passport and visit
visa (if applicable)� As this
information is highly sensi-
tive and subject to change,
always check the www�dubai
�ae government website for an
update before you travel�
Buses to Abu Dhabi leave
from Dubai’s Al Ghubaiba sta-
tion every 40 minutes (single
Dh20, return Dh40)� The trip
takes two hours� Alternatively,
it is an easy, direct drive,
which will take you roughly the
same amount of time�
Flights, tours and rail
tickets can be booked online
at www�lonelyplanet�com/
travel_ services�Air
All uAE airports have short-
and long-term parking facili-
ties� Tariffs range from Dh10
per hour to Dh125 per day
in the short-term car park;
travellers can leave their cars
for up to 10 days in the long-
stay� Always ask about airport
transfers to your hotel when
making your reservation�dubai
Located in the north of the city,
on the border with the Sharjah
emirate, dubai international
airport (DXb; off Map p208;
%04-224 5555, flight enquiries
04-224 5777; http://www.dubaiairport
.com) is the busiest airport
in the Middle East� There are
three terminals:
̈ Terminal 1 Main terminal used
for major international airlines.
̈ Terminal 2 For small airlines
and charters mainly en route toiran, eastern africa and some
eastern european countries.
̈ Terminal 3 used exclusively
by emirates airlines.In 2011, the airport hit the
headlines as being the first
Middle Eastern airport to offer
modular sleep pods for weary
visitors� They are located in
Terminal 1�
For details on getting to
and from Dubai International
Airport, see p15�abu dhabi
About 30km northeast of
the city centre, abu dhabi
international airport (auh;
%02-505 5555, flight information
02-575 7500; http://www.abudhabi
airport.ae) has three terminals,
including Etihad Airways’ ex-
clusive base, Terminal 3�
Passengers travelling to
Abu Dhabi International Air-
port on Etihad Airways can
use free shuttle buses to/
from Dubai� Otherwise, there
is no direct public transport
from the airport�sharjah
About 15km east of the
Dubai–Sharjah border,
sharjah international air-
port (Sai; %06-558 1111; www
.shj-airport.gov.ae) has signifi-
cantly increased its capacity
since becoming the hub of
Air Arabia, the region’s first
budget airline�
To get to/from the airport
you have to take a taxi (ap-
proximately Dh55 from Dubai),
as there’s no public transport�Transport
ThinGs chanGe...The information in this
chapter is particularly
vulnerable to change�
Check directly with
the airline or a travel
agent to make sure
you understand how
a fare (and ticket you
may buy) works and be
aware of the security
requirements for inter-
national travel� Shop
carefully� The details
given in this chapter
should be regarded as
pointers and are not
a substitute for your
own careful, up-to-date
research�